A switching power converter is an electronic circuit that converts an input direct current (DC) supply voltage into one or more DC output voltages that are higher or lower in magnitude than the input DC supply voltage. A switching power converter that generates an output voltage lower than the input voltage is termed a buck or step-down converter. A switching power converter that generates an output voltage higher than the input voltage is termed a boost or step-up converter.
A typical switching power converter may include a high side device (i.e., switch) and a low side device (i.e., switch) that alternately open and close a current path through a switch node to an inductor and capacitor. By opening and closing the high side device and the low side device alternately, a square wave type voltage signal is received at the switch node. This signal then is filtered by the inductor and capacitor (i.e., averaged) to generate a DC output signal that may be provided to an electrical load. Switching power converters are widely used to power electronic devices, particularly battery-powered devices, such as portable cellular phones, laptop computers, and other electronic systems in which efficient use of power is desirable.